Bojan Vrbnjak
Mondeo? Discontinued! Model production Seafood? Finished! End of model Focus? Predictable! For Ford there aren't many classic cars left to restore. The model that will survive the brand reorganization for now is Kuga. After the presentation of the third generation of the year 2020 is now receiving comprehensive updates. What is changing? Let's dive into this renovation.
Shape
Ford he decided that he would Plague only slightly adjusted on the outside. Visually compact SUV modeled after Focus, to which it is technically related. American version of the model Kuga, named Escape, was already expecting a facelift. The front part, however, received much more express facelift versions as the last part. Individual lines of equipment (Titanium, ST-Line, Active) differ more clearly from each other.
Active it gets different badges on the body and inside, and they are also added special devices for body protection and bumpers. It is also increased distance from the ground: Front for ten millimeters, and behind for five millimeters (but not with a plug-in hybrid). ST Line includes changes to the radiator grille and front bumper, as well as a small splitter, side skirts and a unique rear bumper with a diffuser. In the field body colors a new color joins the already known possibilities"Desert Island Blue"In"Bursting Green". What about alloy wheels? Sizes are from 17 to 20 inches with five new patterns.
More
| Length | Width | Height | Honey. distance | Luggage. | |
| Ford Kuga (old) | 4.614 mm | 1.883 mm | 1.661 mm | 2.710 mm | 411 to 475 L |
| Ford Kuga (new) | 4.604 mm (Titanium) 4.615 mm (ST-Line) 4.645 mm (Active) | 1.882 mm | 1.679 mm (Titanium) 1.651 mm (ST-Line) 1.683 mm (Active) | 2.711 mm | 412 to 553 L |
Ford it doesn't specifically mention it in the information about the new model, but it is to be expected the new Plague continued to use modular platform C2, as there will be no change of generation. This is also evident from dimensions, which have hardly changed. Only trunk is noticeable increased. Mainly in terms of maximum volume. This is due to the fact that the rear bench seat can now be moved by 150 millimeters. If the backrests are also folded, the volume increases to a maximum 1.534 liters.
Interior
V cockpit the dashboard is significantly simplified, among other things due to the new standard 13,2-inch the touch screen on which the multimedia system is installed SYNC 4 with cloud navigation and voice control, including natural recognition v 15 European languages. From now on, it will also be possible to control the air conditioning through this screen. We will see if this works well in practice.
There is one more detail round shift lever, which clears the center console. We mustn't forget about things like the wireless connection of smartphones via Apple CarPlay in Android Auto and connectivity Ford Pass 5G, which, among other things, ensures that the car is always up to date.
Drives
Engine chapter we start with a swan song. New Ford Kuga will say goodbye to his last diesel engine. That means it is 2,0-liter four-cylinder the 120 hp diesel engine is already history. Instead, it is in the foreground full electrification model.
1,5 liter turbo gas engine EcoBoost with 150 hp, front-wheel drive and a 6-speed manual gearbox will be the first addition to the range of drives. This basic version consumes from 6,3 to 7,2 liters per 100 km according to the WLTP cycle, it reaches 195 km/h and accelerates to 100 km/h in less than 10 seconds. Above it is 2.5 liter hybrid version, which has different capacities and consumption depending on the type of drive: 180 BAM and 5,3 to 6,2 l/100 km in the variant FWD ter 183 BAM and 5,7 to 6,4 L with all-wheel drive.
It complements the offer plug-in hybrid version, which is also based on 2,5-liter gasoline engine and in this case it is only available with four-wheel drive. With the update, you can 225 BAM increases to 243 BAM, making it the most powerful version in the range: the data list also includes the maximum speed 200 km/h, 7,3 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and electric range from 60 to 69 km. Another interesting detail of the vehicles Kuga Plug-in Hybrid in Kuga Hybrid AWD (FHEV) is a new automatic transmission that allows the towing capacity to be increased by 30 percent to 2.300 kg.
Pricing, market introduction and competition
Ford has not yet announced prices for the new Plague. Also, the manufacturer still did not announce the date of the start of sales on the market. Current entry price of the model The plague is 36.250 euros. And we strongly suspect that the manufacturer aims to stay below the limit 40.000 euros.
Especially considering competition. Among them, it is probably the most important at the moment VW Tiguan, which has just been completely renovated. But everywhere you look, they are there rivals of all kinds: both mass-produced manufacturers, premium car manufacturers and small import brands. They will updates enough to be Kuga stay competitive in this shark tank?
